Home, Sweetest Home

Hello dears! I hope this finds each of you growing in the love and grace of our Heavenly Father. He is so good; truly His name is the sweetest name I know. At this moment I am enjoying a lovely Tuesday morning--my dear sister Allie came home a few days ago (she had been away for about one month) and it is so good to have her home. And soon my dearest Momma will be home too . . . I am so excited and cannot wait to spend time with her just visiting and soaking in her lovely presence. :o)

Home--is there any other word like it? Home can be a house spilling over with relations or it can be the quiet palace of one. The second speaker I was blessed to listen to during the Ladies Conference was Mrs. Carla Scott. Mrs. Scott's topic, "Longing for Home" was lovely; I'd like to share some of the notes which I took. She began with a few (fun) quotes which I really enjoyed.

"You never forgive more than you've been forgiven."

(Isn't that true?)

"At twenty you worry about what people think about you, at forty years you don't worry about what people think about you, and at sixty you realize no one ever thought about you."

(Isn't that so true? :o)

She also mentioned how often home is referenced in our speech . . .
"Home sweet Home, My Home is your Home, Welcome Home, A man's castle is his Home, Come Home soon, Home is where the heart is."

Mrs. Scott went made a wonderful statement: Home matters to God--He created it. I had never realized it before but the Bible refers to the home many, many times. For instance, God promised the Israelite's a home. Naomi wanted Ruth to have a home. The early Christians worshipped in their homes. Proverbs say that the LORD will bless a godly home. In 1 Kings 11 Hadad wanted to return home and Psalms 137 describes the Babylonian captive's longing for their home. Home seems to be very biblical.

the Prodigal Son wanted to return to his home.

Mrs. Scott gave several  points which I found inspirational and lovely:

1. Why does home matter? Because home impacts all of eternity." Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, "He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end."

2. The home should be a glimpse of what God's heavenly home will be like. How? Home should be welcoming and accepting (John 14:16). Every person must feel that they ware wanted. A home should be a place of "re-"

Refreshment, Rekindling, Rest, Redemption, Reunion, Remembrance

3. Roughed up people need a place to be loved, accepted and comforted.

4. Home should be a place of joy and happiness.

 "A happy family is a glimpse of the future [heavenly] one." But how do we make our home happy? We must choose to make our home happy. Sometimes my thinking falls into a "Well, those are great ideas I'll use when I'm married have have my own home to run. But until then I have nothing to give" trap. This is a very false (and destructive) thought. True, at this moment I am merely a daughter and a sister but I have so much to give! When times get tense do I sow seeds of peace and forgiveness or do I sow seeds of distrust and malice? How do I react to my siblings teasing? Am I sweet and patient--showing them how important they are or do I sharply scold? When Mommy needs to run an errand to I respond in humility and cheerfully submit or do I carry a rebellious "if I have to" attitude. Yes, dear friends, we each must choose to make home happy.

5. Home should draw others because of who is there. This statement then asks, "Who does my home reflect?" A Christian home needs to radiate the presence of Jesus.

I know my notes were a bit scattered and please know that it did not properly reflect all that Mrs. Scott shared. But this topic is one that is close to my heart. We all come from some sort of home; for some remembering home may be a painful task. For others it may be pleasant--but we all have a present home where we can bring others in and reflect Christ. It isn't always easy but the rewards are worth everything.

May the Lord bless each of you as you go out this week and seek to make your home a pleasant one!
With so much love from your sister in Christ,


The above picture was taken from graphicsfairy.blogspot.com. Please go and visit her lovely page!
Thank you!